Council reviews draft town manager profile and discusses public role in interviews

Council members reviewed a draft town manager profile (job description) during the Feb. 12 work session and discussed next steps for recruitment, including involvement of an outside HR contractor and public participation in candidate interviews.

A town official (unnamed) said she began adapting a template from the League of Cities and Towns (Arizona) to create a draft profile and shared that she had completed the profile and some related documents but had not finished interview questions. The official said she posted the draft so council members could comment.

Recruitment assistance: the official said she spoke with “Dan,” the HR contractor under the town’s current contract. She said Dan offered to help create a formal job description from the profile, advise where to post the vacancy, review applicants, and help develop interview questions.

Public participation in interviews: council members discussed a hybrid model used elsewhere, in which the council conducts initial interviews and then town residents are given the opportunity to ask candidates questions—either at the same meeting or at a separate session. Some council members expressed concern about exposing candidates to unfiltered public questioning and the variable quality of public questions; others said resident input is valuable and should be designed carefully.

Why it matters: the council’s approach to recruiting and interviewing the town manager will shape candidate selection and public engagement in the process.

Next steps: staff and the HR contractor will refine the job description and proposed interview process; council members will provide edits to the draft profile before posting details of the recruitment process.